New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-03-31
WILL GEN. SPARKS MEYER MENDi
NE LEARNS NO WISDOM BY EXPERIENCE.

MS DECISIONS REVERSED WITH MoNoToNoUs REG
u1.RrTY-oTHER GOSSIP OF THE CAPITAL
,o,, rur REGULAR CORRESPONDENT TRIBUNE
W.su,NGToS,. March 29.-a You remember Sir
Edward Coke's definition of murder 2" said prom
,rant officer of the Department OF Justice to
d.v GDo You think he continued, that under that
definition which roads, as far as / can recoect
When person OF sound memory and discretion I'M
lawfully keth any reasonable creature that under
that definition Indictment would hold tor killing
Commissioner Sparks 1 wOnid guarantee to clear the
accused, upon a motion to quash the indictment, on
the ground that he had not Killed reasonable
ture.'"
The probability of success in the imagined by
the official of the Department OF Justice TO be
foreshadOwed by Mr. Sparks's persistence i'll promul-
eating decisions which regularly reversed by
the Secretary OF the Interior, either NOON his own
iudL ment in accordance with the solicited opinion
OF lie Attorney General. Out OF some 100 decisions
written since Mr. Sparks became the head the Cen
erai Land Office. and which upon appeal have been
reviewed by the Secretary 5 have been reversed out
right 16 have been modified, only 40 affirmed
These figures from the ofncia reports, IN which
only the most Imp Jrtant cases appear. Mr. Sparks,
however, Is not man 10 whom hint Is as good as
kick" He often has to be reversed several times
upon the same point, and las In tho ease oil John
l.. Tilley against the Southern Pacific Railroad Com
pany be informed that it is difficult to understand
how there can be any misconcepton OF the views OF
this department." before he Will recognize superior
authority. Therefore careful classification OF his
decisions upon questions of special importance will
show, think, that large majority of them ha, been
reversed aud in fact that in case where he has
attempted to prove his oftrepeated allegations OF NAL
administration the part of his predecessors by re-
versing the precedents established by them. he has
been speedily and abruptly checked by Secretary
Lamar Conspicuous among such cases are the 1ol-
lowing
Guiiford Miller against the Northern Pacific Rail-
road Company. in which he asserted the peculiarly
novel doctrine that if the Commissioner of the Gen
eral Laud Oioe deems former Secretary of the In
terror to have acted without statutory authority. he,
the subordinate, may officially declare such acts null
and void.
The Kansas Pacific Railroad Company case, in which
he to devise scheme for the adj ustment OF
the lateral limits of railroad grants in place OF that
adopted by the department ia 1850 and uniformly
acted under since that time He wasted In those TOOL
ish endeavors the vices of than dozen clerks
for nearly two years. and achieved only striking
instance OF parturuDt monies nascetur rdicuius mus
The case OF James Brittin, in which he tried to &C.
prive "a homestead claimant OF rights previously
scuuired under the laws In defiance OF the
express provision vi the homestead law, thai 1hn9
contained in this act stall be so construed rs Impair
or interfere in any Tanner Whatever with existing
pre-emption ishts' aud evident Ignorance of the
repeated discussions in Congress that preceded the
Tho case of Maria Good in which he held that by
marriage a forfeited her ri hit to complete an
entry under the homestead law made prior to her
marriage. -,
The Wisconsin farmland mortgage case, in which,
referring the nsicuOIs disregard OF the opinions
OF the Supreme Court displayed by the Commissioner
the Secretary with mldest sarcasm, cbaracerzes the
decisions OF that tribunal es high AID persuasive
authority
La Zan,a that a castigaton is administered to Mr.
Sparks which, were he not a menia pachyderm must
have made his blood Jingle. When the Secretary
SAWS: Oar present duties amply sufficient to COIN
mand our whole time aud attention, without entering
unnecessarily into the inquiry TO the intelligence
with which every past duty was performed" he
me,elv emplovs a euphemism for: " Mind your own
business my dear General, and you will have your
hands full
Still General" William Andrew Jaekso Sparks
like Tennysons brook gots on" with like prospect
OF perpetuty and while the record oil the iasl zen
DAYS shows that in six cases, following another in
quick succession and IN which Mr. SHARKS most con
spiouo isis asserted his personality he has been re-
versed ho continues TO brand each latest dissenting
opinion the biggest mess OF nonsense that was
over called a decision"
Commander Chadwick, who has been on duty as
Naval Attache OF tae American Legation in London,
arrived in Washington this morning. and reported at
the Navy Department Ills business Is 10 consult with
the Department reference 10 the construction OF the
new 900 ton armOred vessels tor VIII, he has been
collecting plans and information In Europe The De-
partment has received eight sts OF designs and plans
Tor the proposed vessels. three OF which, submitted
for this competition from foreign designers The
plans will pc opened in days aud the selection
made promptly.